He was previously the province's vice-governor, although he acted in the governor's capacity following Annas Maamun's arrest in 2014.

He completed primary school in Pekanbaru before moving to Bukittinggi and later Yogyakarta to pursue higher education.

[2] In 2009, he was appointed deputy chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), having previously been the chairman of Aceh's Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

[4] In October 2014, he was appointed as acting governor following Maamun's arrest for bribery charges.

[6] He resigned on 20 September 2018 in order to run as candidate for the People's Representative Council in the 2019 legislative election.